Conveyor construction



1959 R. E. WILLIAMS CONVEYOR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 OriginalFiled Jan. 25, 1956 3 pg i n R. E. WILLIAMS CONVEYOR CONSTRUCTION Jan.20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 25, 1956 gist to -33 x f Pa Ad n ii This invention relates to a movement in conveying mechanismsand in particular to an improved conveyor construction.

One purpose of the present invention is the provision of a conveyorconstruction that is easily assembled and which may be convenientlyformed in any desired length.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of theensuing specification and claim.

1 illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an assembly view of a continuous feeding mechanism employingthe conveying construction con stituting the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the conveying elements utilizedin the invention.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specificationand drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and, particularly Figure l, l illustrate ahopper or conveyor housing, or trough, shown as having downwardlyconverging side walls 1 con nected at their lower, inner edges by agenerally arcuate bottom 2. 3 indicates any suitable weighing hopper,the details of which do not, of'themselves, form part of the presentinvention. The hopper includes a bottom portion or funnel and a suitabledischarge gate 5. 6 diagrammatically indicates any suitable timer forthe weighing hopper 3. 7 is any suitable delivery section or portion forthe conveyor housing ll. It will be understood that weighed charges fromthe hopper 3 may be periodically or irregularly delivered through theinlet portion 7 to the interior of one end of the feed trough or housing1, 1. 10 is any suitable discharge outlet or spout located at theopposite end of the feed trough or housing.

Mounted in the feed trough or housing, I illustrate a plurality ofconveyor elements, each of which 'is shown as including a shaft llmounted at its opposite ends in any suitable bearings l2, 13, thebearings being located at the opposite ends of the trough or housing1, 1. In the embodiment shown, each shaft 11 has a coil or helixthereabout which may, for example, be of wire or rod stock bent to theproper pitch. With reference to Figures 1 and 3, I illustrate aplurality of coil elements 14, each of which has generally radial endportions 1411 which are shown as received in radial or diametricapertures in theshaft Any suitable set screws 15, or their equivalent,may be employed to hold the members 14a in the proper relationship tothe apertures through which they pass. In lieu of the arrangement shown,the coils may be welded or otherwise secured to the shafts. Adjacentradial end portions of the adjacent coils are disposed generallyparallel to one another.

The housing hopper, discharge gate, and trough l, 1 should be taken astypical of an installation in which the improved conveyor elements areused. They maybe used in other forms of conveying mechanisms.

The coils may be rotated by any suitable means, in

directions and at speeds appropriate to their angle of pitch and totheir direction. I illustrate, in Figure 1, an example of a practicaldriving mechanism. 20 indicates any suitable motor, the details of whichdo not form part of the present invention. it is shown as having a shaft21 carrying a sprocket 2'2. about which passes the endidd jild Patented.ian. 2b, lddd less chain 22a. This chain passes about a sequence ofsprockets, one mounted on or in driving relation to each of the shafts11'. In the particular arrangement herein shown, and with relation tothe parts as indicated in Figure l, the lowest of the shafts ll carriesa sprocket 23 which is driven in a clockwise direction by the chain 22a.The upper shafts 11 may carry sprockets 2d and 25 which are driven bythe chain 22a. It will be understead, of course, that this drivingarrangement, while practical and advantageous, is given as an examplerather than as a limitation. It will be noted, however, that, taking thegroup of shafts 11 as a whole, they are driven at a uniform rotationalrate, but in different rotational directions. In the intermediate level,and in the highest level, each shaft, and thus each conveying coil, isdriven in a rotational direction opposite to that of the adjacent coilor coils as shown in my copending application Serial No. 560,786, filedJanuary 23, 1956.

This application is a divisional application of my copending applicationSerial No. 560,786, filed January 23, 1956.

Whereas, I have shown and described an operative form of my invention, Iwish it to be understood that the showing and the description thereofshould be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only and not inany limiting sense.

There are many modifications of the invention which will fall within thescope and spirit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled inthe art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scopeof the hereinafter appended claims.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I illustrate a conveyor construction which advantageously uses coiledrods as the helical conveying elements of the structure. These rods orbars are formed in coils and an elongated conveying element is formed byutilizing a plurality of such coiled rods positioned next to anotheralong the length of the supporting shaft. The radial end portions ofadjacent coils are positioned parallel to one another. The eli'ect isthat of a continuous conveyor formed of the several coiled section rods.The conveying elements may have any desired pitch and direction ofrotation desired.

An advantageous feature of the adjacent radial end portions of adjacentcoil sections resides in a leveling efiect. The adjacent ends act as apaddle and tend to break up and disperse any high points in a stream ofmaterial handled by the conveyor.

I claim:

A conveying coil assembly adapted to impart a generally linear motion togranular and other discrete particles along a generally horizontalpredetermined path including a generally horizontal shaft, means forrotating the shaft, and a spiral coil structure concentricallysurrounding the shatt, the spiral coil structure including a pluralityof coil sections of limited axial length and equal diameter, each suchsection being secured to the shaft only at its ends by radial endportions secured to the shaft and generally perpendicular theretowhereby a continuous spiral is provided, the radial end portions ofadjacent coil sections being themselves adjacent and generally parallelto thereby form a minimum radial obstruction to the movement of materialalong the shaft,

the pitch of the coils being so selected as to form a Kellington et al.June 26, 1900 Walker Feb. 19, 1.92.

